5 Things You Can Omit in Your Wedding Budget

A Wedding is the orchestration of all details of a fairy tale story coming to life. It is the summation of all elements of elegance, enchantment and exhilaration. It is just fitting to design your wedding just as you wanted it to be.

To have a fabulous wedding is one thing and to be frugal but stay fabulous relies completely on how you spend your wedding budget. Among the many things included in the checklist for your big day, there are 5 sneaky things that you thought you needed to be included in the wedding but actually you can get by without it. It will save you tons of money from your total wedding budget.

1. Bridesmaids and Groomsmen. This is very tricky since traditional weddings have always been enamored with a large entourage. Everybody wants to be part of that fabulous group to march down the aisle. Unless the entourage will pay for their dresses and suits, you can completely skip having bridesmaids and groomsmen in your wedding.

Pros: You can save money from the budget.

Cons: Probably a lot of your family and friends will be disappointed for not giving them the "privilege" of being part of your special circle during the wedding. 

Alternative: If you really want to have a full entourage, limit the number of bridesmaids and groomsmen, flower girls and bearers to 3 pairs. Most bridal shop offers wedding rental packages with the standard set of 3 dresses and suits. 

Best Recommendation: Have your bridesmaids and groomsmen act as candle, cord and veil sponsors too. This saves two roles in one. 

2.  Fancy Wedding Invitations. With Social Media comes the power of broadcasting for free. You can take advantage of the technology when announcing you big day. You can save a lot of paper and also a lot of money by skipping this wedding detail. Technology takes crucial role in disseminating your event. Use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter to announce your big day. Create a wedding website where your guests can confirm attendance and wish you warm greetings. Call them!

Pros: You can save money from the budget.

Cons: The conservative members of your family and friends may frown on the idea of no formal invitation. 

Alternative: If you cannot offset the wedding invitations, choose a simple design. Simple but elegant designs come in many forms and rates. Remember that simplicity is beauty.

Best Recommendation: Give only to the VIP's invited to the wedding. Close friends and family members will do just fine with online invitations.

3. Souvenirs. A photo is already a souvenir of the event. It is more important to hire a good photographer than to give out souvenirs to each guest. Souvenirs that are used for display purposes usually goes to trash over time as it gathers dust in the display cabinet. Cheap souvenirs are also considered trash in the long run.

Photo not mine. ctto google images.

Pros: You can save money from the budget.

Cons: Other guests who have been used to getting souvenirs at wedding events may look for the souvenirs and may find it disappointing on their part not having anything to bring home.

Alternative: Give out souvenirs that guests can eat, use or enjoy. Cupcakes, mini towels, and wine are just some of the popular souvenirs to give your guests. 

Best Recommendation: If you opt not to give out souvenirs, you can always tell them that the official photographs will be printed and sent to them after the wedding. Modern weddings don't necessarily give out souvenirs these days.

4. Grand Wedding Venue and Reception. The biggest chunk of the wedding budget goes to the wedding venue and reception. This is where you consider the location, view, amenities, hotel ratings, etc. Hotel receptions don't come cheap but they offer the most comfort and convenience. Garden Venues may be subjected to weather conditions but they give out the best ambiance for a wedding.

Photo credits to: https://www.insideweddings.com/weddings/

Pros: You can save money from the budget. There are thousands of wedding venues in the Philippines. Moreover, in Davao City alone, hundreds of wedding venues are offering wedding packages that will make weddings more convenient and hassle free to plan. 

Cons: You have to literally scout every inch of the place to know what they are offering. This will take a lot of effort and time so it is not so wise for busy people to have it this way. Unless of course they are extremely hands-on couple that they want to have everything under their scrutiny. 

Alternative: Choose a wedding site and reception site near or close to each other. This saves a lot of travel time both on your part and of the guests.

Best Recommendation: When you want to have your wedding in Davao, or General Santos or Mati City, we have Complete Wedding Packages for a less stress wedding planning. We have a variety of wedding venues to choose from perfect for every kind of wedding. You may choose Simple, Classic and Elegant Wedding Packages. If you wish to have specifics, you may also request a quote from us for a more customized wedding.

Nonetheless, if your wedding will be held outside the cities I have mentioned, the most reliable person to ask about different wedding venues are the locals. They know the place better than what is written online.

Photo credits: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3277016/

5. The Very Detailed or Insanely Huge Cake. The purpose of the wedding cake is to symbolize sharing of life's sweetest moments as you journey through the married life.

Pros: If you stick with the traditional ones, you save a lot on costing for additional labor and equipment from bakers. Simple but beautiful cakes can represent the symbolism of the wedding cake very well.

Cons: Towering and more detailed cakes have become the trends that pressured couples to also go with the flow. 

Alternative: Fondant-looking cakes are made from boiled icing but can also deliver the design. They are cheaper than fondant cakes. Although the down side is that fondant-looking cakes won't hold its form that long specially in high humidity open areas.

Best Recommendations: Choose a wedding cake design with lesser detail but looks elegant and classy. Set an amount that you are willing to spend for that specific design and ask the baker to at least make the cake similar to the ideal or make a cake just within the spending budget.

I must say if your willingness to spend is just very limited, then you must save every penny you can in planning your wedding. Every wedding is unique to its own. Some couples value elegance and simplicity and others want grandeur and amazing wedding. It is up to you on what you want for your wedding. I learned this principle a long time ago: CHEAP PRODUCTS ARE NOT GOOD AND GOOD PRODUCTS ARE NOT CHEAP.

There are still many more tips and secrets in planning your wedding on a frugal budget. The things you think you want to have in your wedding day may not be so important at all. Nevertheless, each couple values different things differently. So as they say different folks, different strokes. Each love story is unique, so will be their wedding day.

For appointments, inquiries, package quotation, send me an email: leahjacobeweddings@gmail.com

Happy Wedding Planning!!!